Prayer Force One

With gas prices as high as they are, you wouldn't think a bus tour across the United States would be an attractive ministry.

But that's exactly what an Oklahoma family is doing aboard "Prayer Force One," a 1971 tour bus decked out with flags, crosses and table lamps in the shape of the Washington Monument.

Prayer Force One stopped at the Ohio Statehouse this morning.

The bus is going to visit all 48 continental states before the November presidential election, said the Rev. Ed Moore, the Southern Baptist minister and former Oklahoma state senator who started the project. The point is to encourage prayer and raise awareness for a national prayer day on the Sunday before the election.

With gas prices as high as they are, you wouldn't think a bus tour across the United States would be an attractive ministry.

But that's exactly what an Oklahoma family is doing aboard "Prayer Force One," a 1971 tour bus decked out with flags, crosses and table lamps in the shape of the Washington Monument.

Prayer Force One stopped at the Ohio Statehouse this morning.

The bus is going to visit all 48 continental states before the November presidential election, said the Rev. Ed Moore, the Southern Baptist minister and former Oklahoma state senator who started the project. The point is to encourage prayer and raise awareness for a national prayer day on the Sunday before the election.

That's not to be confused with the National Day of Prayer, which is this Thursday.

The prayer day on Nov. 2 will take place in churches and homes, rather than in community-wide events like the National Day of Prayer, Moore said.

"What we're trying to do is encourage Americans to pray that God will put the right people in office," Moore said.

There's a broader purpose, too.

"We're fanning the flames for national prayer."

The occupants of Prayer Force One are Moore, his wife, Sandy, and their 16-year-old son Tyler, who is homeschooled on the bus. Usually, they hit about five states at a time before heading home to Oklahoma, where Moore is pastor of Pecan Valley Baptist Church in Newalla.

At each stop, they call newspapers and TV stations, trying to get some press. They also talk to regular people, who often want to take photographs. Last summer, then-presidental candidates Tom Tancredo and Mitt Romney climbed aboard during the Iowa straw poll.

Moore, who was a Republican senator, advocates for faith in politics but doesn't endorse candidates. He sees prayer as a vital part of American heritage that has been pushed aside, he said.

So far, the bus has been to 12 states. They'll have to move fast to get to them all before the election.

Right now, they're off to Indianapolis. This latest swing through five states -- Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri -- will cost about $2,000 in gas, Moore said.

He has put about $20,000 of his own money into the project, and the rest comes from donations, he said.

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